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BLACK Stars coach Charles Kwablan Akonnor says their main goal is to qualify the team for the next edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) when they travel to face South Africa in their penultimate Group C qualifying match on Thursday. .
Akonnor said he believed that securing qualification for AFCON 2022 should be the goal of the Black Stars when they face South Africa, São Tomé and Príncipe in a double-headed qualifying match on Thursday and Sunday, respectively.
Ghana has the same points as South Africa, but leads Group C by a higher goal difference, and Sudan, third, has a mathematical chance of qualifying in the event of a slip by Ghana and South Africa in their next two games.
Coach Akonnor told Graphic Sports last Thursday that his team would protect itself from complacency and do whatever it takes to ensure qualification.
“We are only focused on qualifying from the group and that is what we are supposed to do,” he said.
“That is what we hope and we are working to achieve it. I am very confident that we will ensure qualification and that we can talk about the preparations for the tournament, ”he said.
Akonnor, who leads his 29-man squad to Johannesburg tomorrow for the clash at the iconic FNB Stadium in Soweto, has put his faith in nine local players and his legion of 20 foreign players, including England’s midfielder Kwame Afriyie Poku. fourth-tier club, Colchester United.
The Ghanaian will not have influential players like captain Andre Ayew, first deputy team captain Thomas Partey and forward Jordan Ayew, but Akonnor’s relatively inexperienced squad included old guards such as combative midfielder Mubarak Wakaso, Yeni Malatyaspor’s Afriyie Acquah and Greek defender Baba Abdul Rahman. Side PAOK.
The local players are Gladson Awako (Great Olympics), Joseph Esso (Dreams FC), Ismael Ganiyu (Thank you Kotoko), Razak Abalora (Thank you Kotoko), Eric Ofori Antwi (Medema), Kwame Opoku (Thank you Kotoko).
It also includes the trio of Danlad Ibrahim, Philemon Baffuor and Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, who were rewarded with a call-up for the senior team after their roles in Ghana winning the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Mauritania earlier this month.
Ghana defeated South Africa 2-0 at Cape Coast Stadium in November 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak pushed back the remaining qualifying matches.
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